At Stifel Fencing Salle tomorrow, the women’s fencing team looks to maintain its perfect record with competition against one of the top teams in the nation, the Yale Bulldogs.
The season began 3-0 last Sunday, when the women downed Sacred Heart, Case Western, and Cleveland State. Team leaders Ellyn Rajfer and Patty Blumenauer had a perfect afternoon, each going 9-0 in foil and epee, respectively.
“Really, every win we get is a big win,” said head coach Al Peters. “Sacred Heart is a new program, and we haven’t seen Case and CSU in a few years, so that was a good start.”
This weekend, however, may not be as trouble-free for the Big Red.
“Yale is traditionally one of the best in the Ivies, and the Ivy League is usually the best conference in fencing,” commented Peters. “For the past five or six years, Yale has been the Ivy champ four times. Their coach has 28 years of experience.
“It’s exciting to open our Ivy season against one of the best teams in the nation.”
After Yale leaves Ithaca, the fencers will head to Fairleigh-Dickinson for the National Intercollegiate Women’s Fencing Association Championships. The NIWFA was founded in 1929 as one of the first women’s athletic conference in the nation. Although the NIWFA is no longer regarded as the championship meet, it is still an individual showcase. Expect the Red to compete for titles against Rutgers, Stevens Tech, Drew, and Princeton, among others.
Archived article by Tom McNulty